That One Place You Never Should Enter
by Quiet Harmony-chan
Summary: It had started with the village kids getting excited about it, then Italy went to find it, now the world had all gone to hell.


Joanna stared at her tennis shoe clad feet as she walked down the old and craggy sidewalk. The wind whipped around her trying to get her to notice the lovely spring leaves and nesting birds that were now populating her small town. Truth be told Joann probably hated this time of year more that anything else in the world, well other than fall, due to the weather. It was too warm to stay in the house yet too cold to really do anything outside, but her parents were firm in her having to ' freshen up' so they cast her out and told her not to be back before dinner. Which was why she was even outside during this horrible season trying to keep her arms from falling off inside her red track jacket.

After crossing the main road, which was plagued by the afternoon school traffic, she went to one of the small shopping plazas. It was neatly constructed of dark bricks in a semi-circle and filled with just enough parking spaces to squeeze thirty cars. There were quite a few today seeing as how it was Friday and most people had to pick up some sort of do-dad. She slowly made her way to the local ice-cream shop and paused when she saw some of her friends talking to each other.

"Yeah! I heard that it was haunted!"

"I could easily go in and come right back out without screaming."

"Yeah right Hideo."

Joanna snickered at Hideo's angered face. He was the school's dardevil and was known for doing reckless stuff, but no one dared to mess with the mansion. It was rumored to be haunted for the longest time and only fools or tourists went to see it, but they rarely ever walked in.

She continued walking and went to the ice cream shop and shuddered as the colder air blasted her face as she opened the glass door. She gave the man behind the couter a withering look, which he ignored, and went to her favorite booth towards the front. She was suprised to find it filled with two other people.

"Hi Joanna-san."

"Sup Joanna-chan!"

She was then dragged down by a pair of strong hands. She blinked trying to get her bearings and was face to face with a pair of dusty brown eyes and a childish grin. She gave a small smile of her own and pat the boy's tangled mess of black hair.

"It's nice to see you too, Jun." She said while settling into the booth.

Jun was one of her best friends and was one of the first people to not see her as 'That Girl From America'. She wanted to say it was because he was so nice, but it was more because he was too busy juggling more than one thought all the time. A prime example would be now, he was talking to one of his friends but was texting and trying to eat his ice cream. Speaking of which...

She went up to the counter and looked at her twelve choices thoughtfully. The counter-guy was busy serving a mother and her whiny kid. The door jingled as another customer walked through, Joanna didn't bother to look up as she was busy admiring the amount of chocalate in the rasperry ice cream.

"I really hate this." Someone muttered quietly.

Joanna looked up to see a boy, well he was obviously older than her own fourteen years, speaking in heavily accented English. It was rare to hear English outside of her own house, so she took this moment to observe the person. He was rather intresting looking with auburn brown hair and quiet looking amber eyes. He would have been considered handsome if it wasn't for the worried and slightly angered look on his face.

Before any kind of communication could be made the counter guy walked up and asked for her order. She quickly spouted for oranage cream and took her bowl back to her friend, the other guy having left at some point.

Jun waved his phone in her face the moment she sat down. "Did you get Hideo's text?" He asked excitedly.

Not waiting for her to answer. "He just told everyone that he's going up to the mansion tommorow afternoon!" He said in a hoarse tone.

She raised a thick eye-brow. Hideo was definetly becoming closer and closer to the fool categorey the more he opened his big mouth.

Jun started clicking away at his phone. "I bet we could beat him up there if we ran." He said idly.

Joanna's grey green eyes widened considerably at his statement. She quietly wondered if he had actually lived in the town his whole seventeen years of life like he claimed. The dread mansion's legend had been practically jammed into her head ever since she moved here from Washington D.C.

Jun suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "I think we should ask Yuuki-sama or Senpai to come along." He said brightly while shoving himself, and Joanna for that manner, out of the booth.

**...**

If Joanna had been asked whether or not she even wanted to go to the mansion she would have said that it was a fool hardy mission and that Jun was asking the wrong people to tag along, but seeing as how she wasn't asked, and Jun was dragging her, she decided to just deal with it.

They walked along a twisting road of narrow streets that held many apartments on both sides. This was what most people called the 'deliquent' neighborhood since all the kids who went to the college an hour and a half away stayed here. They went up the first flight of stairs once they found the green doored apartments and passed through the trash cluttered hall until they reached door 143.

Jun kicked it with his foot and was immedietly greeted by something crashing to the ground and a stream of curses. The door was opened moments later by a terribly thin young man with red hair that looked like it had been electrified.

"What are you kids doing knocking this early." He yawned

Jun frowned. "It's four in the afternoon, but that's not imporatant!" He took his phone out of his pocket. "What is importaint is that you'll be coming with us to the mansion, Senpai!"

Steven cocked an eyebrow. He hadn't been in Japan very long, but he knew the stories surrounding that place. "Heh, kid I wouldn't go there for a millionbucks." He drawled.

Jun shrugged. "Well I guess all the girls thinking I'm a brave man will be all mine." He chirped.

Steven looked thoughtful for a minute causing Joanna to want to scream at him. "Well..." He shut his door and opened it moments later showing off a black powder ritfle. "If I'm going up that mountain I may as well make sure you're not eaten by a wild dog or whatever."

Jun cheered while Joanna face palmed.

**...**

The local shrine was open that day and that's where they, actually Jun since he was the only one who wanted to tell the plan, found Yuuki, a young woman who was a Miko in training. She had been sweeping the steps of the shrine when the he walked up.

"Yuuki-sama!"

The brunette didn't look up from her task. This caused Jun to poke her in the cheek, and snatch the broom away.

Yuuki looked up with an irritated look on her plain face. "Jun-san this is a sacred place, your obnoxious actions is upsetting the people inside." She hissed.

Jun rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry I um, wanted to see if you would come with us to the mansion." He said in a quiet voice.

Yuuki just gave him a blank stare. "No."

"Aw, why not Steven and Joanna are coming!"

Yuuki put her hands on her hips. "There are plenty of reasons why! One, you won't be back in time to eat. Two, having Steven as your only adult chaperone is already a disaster. Three," She pointed to the shrine behind her. "I have my duties here to finish."

Jun blinked, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm sorry Yuuki-sama." He said in a whisper.

Yuuki bit her lip and narrowed her hazel eyes. Jun was a master at getting people to feel sorry for him, he could look like a kicked puppy with a baby's voice when he wanted to.

"Fine."

"Yes!"

"Later though."

She then snatched the broom and went back to her original task.

**...**

In the three hours it took to get to the mansion Joanna wished she had stayed home. She had blisteres on her feet, a sunburn, and a headache from listening to the men going on and on about guns. It had been a horrible time to her and she wished she could curl up and go to sleep.

"I guess this is it." Steven siad when they reached the wrought iron gate.

Jun shuffled his feet a bit. "It looks bigger than I thought." he said in a sub dued tone.

Joanna pushed the gate open, it swung without a sound which made it a little less scary. The trio walked down the dirt path admiring the wild garden that grew around the house and the small river that ran beside it. The whole area was like a fairy wonderland, just waiting to be explored by some random explorer.

When they were on the old wood porch Steven gestured to Jun. "You get to open it." He offered.

Jun gave him a dirty look. "You're right there, why can't you?!"

"Because if it has a trap I won't be dead."

"You're evil."

"I try."

Jun placed his hand gently on the worn brass doorknob. When it didn't take his hand off he turned it and pushed some of his weight on the door. Jun walked in first, followed by Joanna, then Steven.

"It's rather clean, huh?" Steven said in confusion. He had expected the place to be crawling with dust, roaches, and spiders.

Jun looked up at the crystal chandiler. "Maybe the last people who came up here cleaned it up?"

Joanna knocked on the wood banister by the stairs. "I don't think so." She said quietly. "I don't think people have been here in years."

Jun shrugged and leaned against a plain white wall. "Well this place is boring." He yawned dramaticaly. "I guess we can go home now."

Joanna stopped looking at a blue vase on a side table. "No." She deadpanned.

"What!"

Steven put a hand on Jun's shoulder. "Are you scared?~" He cooed.

"No but..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The men turned around to see a giant grey creature with enough bulk to make a bull jealous and a alien like head. Jun took two steps back and then ran down the hall, Steven running up the stairs, leaving Joanna where she was.

Her eyes widened when the creature tried to punch her with his large fist. She stumbled back, spun on her heel, and ran down the right hall way. There were multiple doors, but she didn't see them in her hurry to run. She did notice one when she saw that it was blocking her path.

She ripped it open and ran inside just to slip on peices of broken glass and fall into the cabinet then onto the ground. The creature, who had still been following her, entered the room and narrowed it's large onyx eyes at her. It stalked forward and brough a gaint fist down on her. Joanna grabbed the closet thing to her and raised it up, shutting her eyes as she did so.

A shrill scream caused her eyes to open and she stared at the corded arm muscle in front of her had a kitchen knife embedded in it. The creature yanked its arm back causing the knife to slip from the grey skin with a wet sound. Joanna looked down at the blood stained knife then back at the creature.

"Okay..."

She struggled to her feet and braced herself as the creature tried to smack her again. This time she ducked and blindly stabbed at the creature. It hissed and grasped out its uningured arm and grabber her waist, its entire hand able to wrap around it. He lifted her up and threw her cross the room and over the counter. Joanna hit the floor with a sickening thud and moaned in pain as she felt some of her bones scream in protest to the beating they were receiving. She struggled to her feet again and gaped at the large red splotch that had appeared on her left pant's leg. The creature stalked toward her and tried to smack her again, this time adrenaline pushed her to move out of the way and stab the creature in the stomache.

The creature screamed and dissapered leaving only a metallic smell behind. Joanna stared at the spot in fear, waiting for the creature to come back and eat her face. When it didn't she let go of a breath that had been locked up inside for too long.

"Now what." She deadpanned.

The room wasn't that interesting. It had dark wood cabinets that had glass doors filled with bread, whine goblets, and other stuff normaly found there. There was a sink but the faucet looked bent. In the very back of the room was a door but it was locked. After fiddling with the door for five minutes she realized that she had to go out the door she had enterentered in from.

When she opened the door she put a hand to her mouth and swallowed a scream as she came face to face with a human being. Causing her heart to stutter and her body to faint.

**...**

**A/N: HEY! So I'm making this after watching all the Oni games and I decided that I wanted to add peices of them into Hetaoni. I hope you all like it and don't think it's over rated...**


End file.
